Cap-former for standing seams of roofing



(No Model.)

B. P. CALDWELL s; W. F. PETERSON. GAP FORMER FOR STANDING SEAMS OF ROOFING.

No. 373,335. Patented Nov. 15, 1887.

NIT-ED STATES PATENT FFICEO BENJAMIN F. CALDWELL AND WILLIAM F. PETERSON, OF WHEELING, VEST I VIRGINIA.

CAP-FORMER FOR STANDING SEAlVlS OF ROOFING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 373,335, dated November 15,1887.

Application filed Ort ber 6, 1887. Serial No. 251,627. (No'modeL) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. CALD- WELL and WILLIAM F. PETERSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Wheeling, in the 5 county of Ohio and State of Vest Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gap-Formers for the Standing Seams of Metal Roofs, of which the following is a specification.

In constructing sheet-metal roofing with standing seams it is usual to provide caps for embracing the adjacent vertical flanges of the sheet-metal sections, and thereby complete the seam-for instance, as in Letters Patent No. :5 318,352, issued to Benjamin F. Caldwell May 19, 1885. In other instances the vertical flange of one sheet-metal section has been extended and bent to overhang the upper edge of the vertical flange on the adjacent sheet-metal section.

In all cases where caps are applied to complete the standing seam some contrivance is necessary to close down or press the cap in place upon or against the vertical flanges of the metal sections. This is ordinarily accomplished by means of a mallet; but this is ob jectionable, owing to the labor and time nec- 1 essaryto perform the work.

The objects of our invention are to avoid the 0 objection stated and to provide a novel, simple, and efficient instrument for rapidly closing down or pressingthe caps in position, as before stated; and to such end our invention consists, among other things, in two levers hinged to- 3 5 gether at one end to receive between them the cap and vertical flanges, and at their other ends curved and pivotally connected with the opposite end portions of a top plate or bar preferably having a handle by which to maa o nipulate it in such manner that when the hinged ends of the levers are opened, as a pair of jaws, to receive the capand pressure then applied to the top plate or bar the levers will be forced into line and their hinged ends 5 brought together, thereby clamping and closing or pressing down the flanges of the cap against the vertical flanges of the metal sections. The levers arereleased from the completed standing seam when the top plate or bar is lifted for a subsequent operation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the instrument with the hinged levers open to receive the cap; Fig. 2,

a similar view showing the position of the parts when the cap is closed down to complete the standing seam, and Fig. 3 an end view of the parts when closed as in Fig. 2.

In order to enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will now describe the samein detail, referring to the drawings, where- The numeral 1 indicates thehorizontal top plate or bar having a handle, 2, secured thereto in any suitable manner. The levers 3 are the 4 counterpart of each other and have adjacent square ends hinged together at their inner edges or next the top plate or bar by a butt or any other suitable hinge or pivot, 4, so that the aforesaid square ends constitute in effect two jaws, 5. The other end of each lever is uniformly curved, as at 6, on its inner edge, or next the plate or bar, and is pivotally connected with the latter by a link, 7, jointed, respectively, to the lever and to the plate or bar.

If a butt-hinge be used, as shown in the drawings, for jointing together the adjacent ends of the levers, the plate or bar is provided with a recess, 8, to receive the projecting parts of the hinge when the levers and plate or bar are closed together, as hereinafter explained. It will be obvious, however, that the levers may be so hinged or jointed together as to avoid the necessity of the recess in the plate or bar. The levers being opened, asin Fig. l, a V-shaped space intervenes between their adjacent ends or jaws to receive the cap, and the curved ends of the levers are in direct contact with the under face of the plate or bar. The parts may be brought to this position by simply lifting the implement through the medium of the handle 2. The cap being in the space between the jaws, the operator presses upon the top plate or bar by standing thereupon or otherwise, whereby the levers are forced into the same plane, and the jaws 5 close or press 5 .down the cap over and upon the adjacent vertical flanges of the metal roofing-sections to complete the standing seam. The implement is then raised and the same operation repeated until the work is completed. I00

The invention is especially designed to close down the caps exhibited in our Letters Patent before alluded to; but we wish it understood that we do not confine our invention to such use, as the device is useful in closing down different kinds of caps and for other similar purposes. The curved ends of the levers secure their smooth and perfect working movements, and the pivoted links permit the requisite movements of the levers in bringing them into line, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combination of the top plate or bar and the two lovers hinged together at one end and having a loose pivotal connection at their other end with the top plate or bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the top bar or plate and the two levers hinged together at one end and at their other end curved and having a loose pivotal connection with the top plate or bar, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the top plate or bar, the two levers hinged together at the inner edges oftheir adjacent ends, and pivoted links connecting the other ends of the levers with the top plate or bar, substantially as described.

, In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

- BENJADIIN F. CALDWELL.

VILLIADI F. PETERSON.

Witnesses:

J AMES McADAMs, JOHN MURDocK. 

